


The Opposite Day

by ShiHeTsu



Category: Durarara!!
Genre: (maybe?) - Freeform, Alternate Universe, Delusions, Established Relationship, F/M, M/M, Trauma, let's torment lil' Izaya
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-12
Updated: 2020-11-12
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:15:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27532867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShiHeTsu/pseuds/ShiHeTsu
Summary: You live and then you die. But what if the life you have is a lie? Or isn't it?They tell you that but are they right? Are they wrong?Izaya remembers it differently.
Relationships: Heiwajima Shizuo/Orihara Izaya
Comments: 4
Kudos: 36





	The Opposite Day

Annoying light coming from a window in Izaya’s bedroom hit him in a face. His lashes fluttered to reveal tired brown eyes with a reddish hue. He turned away from the light facing other empty side of his bed. He tried to dozen off but with all consuming brightness he finally let the idea rest itself. He rubbed his eyes with slender fingers trying to get rid of sleepers coming at mornings after leaving his contact lenses in for a night. Someday he really should consider if he’s work was worth pulling all-nighters without giving himself additional five minutes on his way from a computer to the bed.

He sat on his bed and stretched his arms above his head to flex muscles in his back. Satisfying burn at his shoulders rushed a goosebumps on his skin. He lowered his arms and rolled his head on sides to easy the heat and his neck. With his face ending on the side he once again opened his eyes that had closed to the previous satisfaction. And behold, on the other side of the bed there was a crumbled covers and a pillow with an imprint in the middle of it.

Huh. He had been more tired that he thought, tossing in the big bed to tousle around during the night.

He throw covers and stood up. The sleepiness in his body still hasn’t left him and while drugging his bare feet he made his way to the kitchen. As every morning his first steps were to a coffee maker to fill a whole kettle of the most needed and appreciated brew in his life. Drops were slowly filling the see-through jug when a front door opened. He has not even acknowledged Namie as every other morning. She has been punctual, always there on a dot without any slip. Mornings after nights of whole consuming working were not his best moments. That was until he saw a flash on while floating behind woman’s slender figure.

He turned Namie’s way seeing her form clad in her once loved pure white lab coat. He snorted with laughter hugging his stomach and leaning on a counter to keep him up.

“What’s this? New dress code?” he snickered not minding how out of character that could be.

“What are you talking about?” she asked in her quirky tone and turned to his desk taking few annoyingly loud steps with a clip-clop of borrowed slippers. She put a plastic bag that shimmered with a move of pushing on the handles. She smoothed a texture of the bag with a side of a logo and first word easily visible. “I hope you’ll actually won’t tuck in all of them in one go.”

Izaya moved on to a side to take a better look. The visible side had a logo and a name of a store. “Russia” part of a name gave him a hope for a decent meal. With a smile he rushed to a bag and pulled the plastic on the sides. The name now more visible- black inked “Russia Pharma” a contrast on a white texture.

“What’s that? New commercial strategy on Simon’s side?” he chuckled and pushed his hand in to reach a smooth texture of a box.

He pulled it out but instead of see-through plastic with dark pink morsels of tuna there was a paper box with a generic logo and a really long name.

“What’s that?” he repeated once again and looked up at the woman, seeing her crossing her arms and lowering her eyes to a floor he looked back and opened the box.

Inside there were two blister packs, he picked one and exanimated in his had with a tell-tale shimmer of aluminum side with each turn. He pushed them back and looked inside a bag with more boxes to come. He throw the box into the bag and pushed it toppling a tower inside of it that spilled on a surface of his desk. He leaned right beside it and crossed his arms. The looming silence should express his displeasure enough but Namie didn’t say anything still standing in her lab coat mirroring his stance. He sighed and opened his posture only to rub his face with hands. He was way too tired for their games.

“What was it this time that you needed to…” he gestured at the bag. “prank me?” he finally added not finding a better description of the gift.

She moved to a side where…. Her desk supposed to be. A divan graced the space and she took a sit in a middle of it. When she managed to rearrange his living room? She picked at cuticles with her nails not even once looking up at Izaya. Something wasn’t right but Izaya couldn’t put a finger on it. Like living in a different reality. Why she was so out of character? Namie wouldn’t back off from his pestering her even that lightly. The same zip of a goosebumps run down his spine but was not as pleasurable as at the morning.

“Shzuo-san called me this morning” she said as if that would be an answer- much needed answer.

“Shizuo…san?” he repeated slowly after her. Never she has this monster’s name with such familiarity. “What Shizu-chan has anything to do with that.”

“Oh my god, he was right” she pushed herself from the seat and marched his way getting way too much into his personal space, her face pushed close to his flicking her gaze from his one eye to the other. “You have another episode, don’t you?”

Another episode? Okay, that was enough. He took her by her arms and pushed not minding a force behind it. She stumbled but quickly found her footing. She rubbed at her arm where his fingers ding into a flesh. Both of them glaring at each other. With no words Izaya moved passed her to get a cup of a coffee. Whatever this maddens was, he couldn’t deal with it without his favorite drink first. Namie was always hard to deal with but today she outdone herself.

“Maybe you should spend some time with your precious brother instead of trying to play these childish games of yours. Some brotherly love might put you in better mood to not spoil mine” he poured a dark drink into his favorite red mug that gave even richer color to his coffee. “Besides, I’ve already done most of work this night, so your help won’t be needed today.”

“Izaya” she started but seeing him still with his back turned to her she stepped into an open kitchen and stopped not far from his right. “Izaya” she said once again but still no reaction. “Seiji-kun… he… You have forgotten once again but” she paused fumbling with contains of pockets at her lab coat. “But it’s fine. Just please, take your medication. Now” the weakness left her voice ending with a strong stance.

At that he placed a cup on a counter so silently that not even a sound has been made. She eyed the ceramic with wary eyes only to lift them up when the man slowly turned her way. His brows were drawn and eyes hooded giving them a dangerous glint. He took one step this time the intimidation coming from his side. He looked down on her using an advantage of his height. What this woman was playing at was slowly losing its amusement. He could see her chest raising and falling in quick shallow breaths, she was nervous- good.

“If I were you” he said slowly” I would leave. Now” he parroted her order.

He could see how her body unnaturally still would twitch here and there with all emotions tormenting her. Has she forgot to whom she was talking to? No one was getting on his bad side if they value their lives. Just because they were working together didn’t mean he would cut her some slack in any show of disobedient. The common sense won and she backed down with a tiny step back and with that came next one and another. Finally she turned around and left his apartment with a loud slam of the front door.

He gave a minute or two for himself to finally exhale loudly the air that has been stuck at his lungs for too long. Instead of the empty space in front of him he looked at the wide entrance to the kitchen with a view of his living room turned office. He reached for his coffee and made his way to the desk glancing at the bright divan and then on the bag with who knows what pill in it. Securing his coffee on a flat surface of his desk he fell into his comfy swivel chair that made a full round before facing the desk once again.

He pushed a power button on a front panel of his computer and while waiting he leaned on the glass surface while sipping his drink. He could feel a glare coming from the content of the bag and slowly building annoyance with it. He grabbed the plastic and with bored face and theatrical outstretched arm to the side he opened a palm of his hand letting it land on a floor.

After powering up and well known demand for log in he tapped twice on a mouse to open a proxy to log on his e-mail account. But the contain was not what he remembered from last night. The e-mails were not making any sense. Data, data, data was in each subject running from up to down. What data? He picked the first one with Shiki’s well-known name, to go over the text.

“Data needed on markets in South-East Asia…” he read out loud the first paragraph after the pleasantries from Shiki’s side. “What data?” he dived into the text not getting any instructions coming from them. “What he’s up to this time?”

He found his phone with dangling white cord plugged into a socket of power strip on the side of his computer. He took it letting a charger to curl on the floor. With no problem he found the contact to Shiki and dialed it. He didn’t need to wait long when a deep voiced scratched with years of smoking greeted him on the other side.

“Orihara-san, I am pleased to hear from you so soon. I believe you have seen my e-mail then?” the cool and formal address gave Izaya a familiar feeling of excitement coming with new information and upcoming task.

“Oh, yes. I’ve went over the content and I must say I’m puzzled by it. Have you made some side deals that I’m not aware of?” Izaya pulled his boyish façade like every other encounter with the yakuza executive.

“It is the same contract all over again” Shiki said undisturbed by frivolous tone coming from Izaya. “Asuki Group tries to cut our suppliers and that includes the paintings for my galleries. Mahoutou curator has been send to Singapore last week to come empty handed with all works already sold to someone from Asuki.”

Izaya blinked few times staring into nothingness. He was aware that Mahoutou Co. Ltd. And with that all three art galleries run by Haruya Shiki were a cover for transactions that were far from legal but he was never so involved into what had been on a stock of previous mentioned galleries. As long as they had SOMETHING that could be sold and not too valuable but still pass as an excuse for an enormous cash transfer would work. Why he would need an information on markets out of Japan out of a sudden? Some minor painters inside the country had been good enough for him and on top of that, he never asked Izaya for a research.

“Well, I could into the matter” Izaya finally answered knowing that the silence stretched too long. “And what about Kawabata?” he added. What about his all night investigation on a culprit that was snatching cash coming from all gathered funds from Awakusu-kai’s turf?

“Is there something I need to know about him?” Shiki asked a bit launder with murmurs of numerous voices coming from his side with one distinct “Director Haruya, the exhibition is about to start”. Izaya pulled his phone for a screen to flash that the call with “Haruya Shiki CEO” was still ongoing. “I am aware that Kawabata made a mess into a database and it would probably take forever to go over records but I believe you will find the missing paintings without any problem. My attention is needed elsewhere at the moment so after you will find missing pieces please send me an e-mail. Till then…”

The sound of a rashly ended call with a dull beep left Izaya with ringing at his right ear. The surroundings with still brewing coffee maker, whisper of a fan in his computer started to fade away only for the ringing of ended call getting louder and louder.

“What on earth…” Izaya pulled his cellphone onto his lap staring at the still open e-mail from Director Haruya on a display on the screen right in front of him.

Few hours passed with Izaya going over his morning routine before turning to a task at hand. His desk being his headquarters over his information empire. Stuck to a computer he heard the front door open first and a knock later. Or he should better put as a click of a lock first and all the rest later. The short knock was not the last thing he heard.

“Izaya! Izaya-kun!” a cheerful voice of Izaya’s not a stable friend Shinra rung through a quiet apartment. “Izaya-kun!” the voice got louder by each second. “Iza… Oh! Here you are!” Shinra stepped into the living room making his way to Izaya’s desk with keys still on a finger of the doctor’s hand. “Did you not hear me?”

“I heard you” Izaya replied with a flat voice too focused on a screen of his computer. Trying to find information outside of Tokyo was a challenge on its own. But not impossible. “I think the whole Shinjuku heard you” he tapped on Enter to finished the line and go to a next one. “To what do I own the displeasure?”

“Well, Namie-san called” Shinra said as if that would be an answer for his visit.

At that Izaya looked up at his so-called friend. With an eyebrow running high on his forehead he looked up and down Kishitani Shinra. Something was different about the man.

“Why do you have these clothes on?” Izaya asked pointing at Shinra with his chin.

“What’s wrong with them?”

Shinra pulled at his tweed jacked with patches on each elbow. Underneath was a crispy white shirt that was tucked into a pair of gray slacks. His glasses seemed to be the same one, with thick dark frames with the same too long fringes of brown hair. The doctor let out a long sigh and pulled up his brown leather briefcase. He opened it and throw keys in not taking it down from the desk. He put both hands on top of it to balance it on the glass.

“You cleaned nicely” Izaya said with a not. “Is there some occasion for you to get out of your lab coat?”

“Ha-ha-ha” Shinra chided but his bright smile back in a flash. “I had no time to change after lectures. Your place is on the way so I decided to pop by right after classes.”

“Classes? Is practice not enough anymore?” Izaya leaned on a backrest of his chair.

“You still don’t believe I can give long presentations and mean grades? You should give it a try and see on your own eyes. I’m fabulous going over surgery procedure” he placed his hand where Izaya believes should be Shinra’s hear and contempt expression mocking the raven.

“Yeah, right” Izaya waved him off straightening his back to dive to a keyboard and run his fingers over the keys. “Now go, I have a lot work to do. Shiki-san gave me the most tedious task ever.”

“Oh! You’re working! That’s great!” Shinra clapped nearly jumping in happiness. “It seems it wasn’t as bad as Shizuo-kun and Namie-san thought. Good, good” he nodded few times in approval not known to Izaya.

“My, my” Izaya once again leaned on a support of his swivel chair. “Why everyone are bring up this monster? I haven’t seen him in few weeks. And frankly I’m too busy to play with him” he leaned on an armrest.

Shinra’s eyes got wide behind his glasses. Fingers curling on a brown leather of his briefcase turning white. He leaned forward over the desk studying Izaya’s face. What was with crazy scientists and getting into Izaya’s face. The grimace showed on Orihara’s face as if he tasted too sour tea.

“Oh no” was the only thing that escaped Shinra’s lips.

“Why are you two keep doing that?” he asked when nothing else but a middle school staring contest kept them in the same frozen scene.

At that Shinra moved with his briefcase toppling over a cup with pens and some documents on a corner of the desk. He made his way around the desk and nearly stepped on a bag with medication. He lowered his head to examine the obstacle only to shake his hand in disbelieve. Izaya pushed himself to roll away from his upcoming friend. The movement picked Shinra’s attention and made him move forward eating up the distance. He placed both hands on armrests, caging Izaya in his seat.

“Izaya-kun, you forgot to ask Namie-san to prescribe you your meds?” Shinra asked with an unusual concern in his voice. “How do you feel?”

Izaya blinked once, twice. The man in front of him, with Shinra’s face, was asking him about his well-being? Who was this man and what has he done with his goofy friend? Wasn’t Shinra all about Celty?

“You should stop worrying about me and think about your girlfriend?” Izaya brushed him off and pushed himself from the chair making his way to the tall wall filled with shelves of books.

“Girlfriend?” Shinra asked a bit stupefied. The face fell quite quick to be replaced by one of sadness. He lift his left hand with his ring finger adored by a golden band. “I’m married, Izaya-kun” he said as if the jewelry needed an explanation itself.

“Hee… That was fast. And did you tell her about our little secret?” he chuckled and turned around to the well known shelf to part a book to… “Where is it?” Izaya stared at the empty space where a tack with Celty’s head should be. He turned to Shinra with narrowed eyes. “You took it?”

“By any means, you’re talking about Celty’s head?” Shinra asked making a small step Izaya’s way.

“You gave it to her?” the raven asked with disbelieve. “Hah…. Hahaha” his laughter loud in between them. “You’re more sly than I thought” he leaned on the bookcase still chuckling while holding on to his sides.

“Izaya-kun” Shinra started with his hand outreached and palm open to face Izaya. “You know it was not your fault.”

“Not my fault?” Izaya’s laughter ended in a blink while wiping non existing tear from a corner of his eye. “You know there was no need to sneak into my apartment to get it. Well that is a mild inconvenience but what’s done is done.”

Izaya moved to the corridor with Shinra on his tail. He reached to a hook where a black coat with fur trims should hang. There was nothing. The closet was the next place he searched. Some of the jackets were in brighter colors with sizes two big for him, sagging in ends of shoulders on hanger. He picked the dark parka with a furry trimmed hood with two braided string hanging on sides to adjust it. It will do.

“Izaya-kun, you should stay at home” Shinra tried once again to reason with his friend while the other was pulling the coat on.

“Be a dear and lock the door” Izaya said while stepping out of the apartment leaving Shinra still on the corridor.

“Izaya!” Shinra called after the raven running out as well.

“No need to shout” Izaya chided while walking backwards to the elevator. He pressed a button to call the elevator and put his hands in pockets of his parka. “You really should mind your own business, Shinra. You should know better” he added seeing Shinra’s eyes running between him and still open doors to Izaya’s apartment. The elevator door opened behind Izaya and he took one more step back to get inside. “It was not nice to see you” he waved with a smile while doors slowly closed themselves.

Through the metal he could here Shinra calling his name.

After stepping out of his apartment complex he looked around a street. He needed to move and fast. Shinra could react faster then usual and run after him after collecting his stuff and closing the front door. He took a deep breath, being stuffed inside his apartment for last 24 hours a fresh air would do wonders to him after begin surrounded by this madness. A small stroll would be the best option. Ikebukuro that is!

He made his way to Higashi-Shinjuku Station. Not the closest one to his place but that way Shinra would take a JR Line instead of a Fukutoshin Line. That could spare Izaya’s hide and seek game in a train with his friend. Ikebukuro Station big enough to loose Shinra in case if they would end up in there in the same time. He strolled around less busy streets ending at the bridge right above the busy four laned street. On his way he stepping into a good knife supplier of his. One knife should be enough, his collection still waiting for him back home. He needed for Shinra to disappear and give him an inkling he would not come back anytime soon.

He leaned on a banister and looked down at passing cars.

“Izaya!”

His name called out distantly as if muffled by something. The accent slightly foreign but not unpleasant. He turned to a female figure in black leather one-piece with a yellow helmet with cat ears. A bike with turned engine in between her legs roaring with fumes pulling like a tail behind it. The white numberplate the only bright piece on a whole black motorbike.

He blinked surprised seeing Celty and hearing his name called out in the same time. She pushed a kick-stand with her foot and dismounted the vehicle. She made her way to him with both hands raised as if approaching an animal ready to attack. That even more surprised Izaya but his lips turned into a crooked smile. Is a fairy wary of him? That would be a first.

“Izaya” a slightly deep female voice escaped a cage of yellow helmet.

“Wha…” Now THAT was unexpected. He turned her way with a curiosity shining in his rusty brown eyes. 

“Oh yeah” she said as if finally figuring out the problem.

She pushed at the zip to give herself some space to reach for a clasp at the base of her helmet. She put both of her hands at the side of the helmet. When her hand cleared a view to her throat the ugly scar run horizontally right under a hem of yellow plastic. Finally Celty bent a bit to a front and pulled at helmet. She straighten her back shaking her head to get chestnut hair out of her hazel eyes. She placed a yellow piece of bike equipment to her side securing with her arm.

“Izaya” she said with her voice clearer now. “Shinra called me. He was worried. Let’s go home” she said in smple sentences.

But nothing was simple in this situation. Izaya was staring at the head that for many months stayed in a jar at his apartment with hooded eyes gazing at its surroundings. To say he was surprised was underestimate. His lips ajar taking in the woman in with her head attached to her body. He was going mad! He pointed at her with still the dumbest expression he would never admit to have. Not long after he pointed at her motorbike.

“Since when do you have numberplates?” he asked, even that there was a more pressing question at hand.

She tured to her bike and blinked few times trying to figure out what he ment. She turned to him once again pointing with her on thumb heind her to her bike.

“Plates?” she asked to what Izaya nodded without even lowering his hand and still staring at her animated face. “Well… since I bought it few years ago.”

“No. No. Nonono” he repeated finally pushing fingers into his hair and turning slightly from her.

“Izaya, it’s a bike” she said as if to trying reassure him on the most obvious matter.

“It’s a bike? Not a horse?” he asked turning his face to her.

“Izaya, you should really go back to your place. Namie is on her way” she added while taking slow steps to him.

“How do you have head?!” he asked loudly while taking a jump back from her.

“Izaya” she said his name as if it should make him rationalize with the situation.

“How!” he hissed.

“Izaya, it was an accident. It was not your fault” she added but stay put in the same exact place.

“Why everyone is trying to convince me that whatever happened was not my fault!” he screamed her way.

“Because it was not. We were young” she made her way to him to which he moved back. “Young and stupid!” she added.

“Tell me” he said. “Tell me what happened” he demanded through clenched teeth.

“I’m not sure it’s a good…”

“Tell me now!” he interrupted her with a blade flushing in front of him and pointed at her.

“Okay!” she put her hands up in a gesture of surrender with a helmet hanging from her right hand. “I’ll tell you. But you need to put the knife down.”

“Not a chance” he said with a smirk. “Now talk. Now tell me what’s this madness.”

“It’s not madness, Izaya! It’s the reality!” she yelled back lowering her hands down with fists clench at her sides. “It’s you! You and your… your, your stupid brain telling you differently!” she added stammering at all the emotions rushing through her and making her body tremble. “And it’s not the first time, you asshole! You’re not the only one that suffered! I almost died!” she stomped with her foot hitting the asphalt.

At that his own arm lowered and the switchblade pointed at the sidewalk rather than Celty.

“We were young, okay?!” she growled almost similarly to her best friend. “We were butting our noses in all the wrong places and we paid for it! You beaten to a pulp and me with a slight throat! End of story! Now get on the damn bike! I’m taking you home before Shizuo would find out” she added a little bit calmer taking her helmet from under her arm and placing it on top of her head. “Did you hear me?” she stopped not covering her head.

Of course he heard her. He was looking at her with all the new information still ringing in his ears. How this whole… world was so different for the one he had known. Being so similar and jest so unlike. Go back with her? To what place? His apartment filled with these lunatics? No way!

Izaya took one step, then another one only to turn around and run. He turned to the first narrow alley hoping for a path being not wide enough for her bike to fit. The roar of the engine and her muffled shouts could be heard from an entrance to the alley. He knew that Celty knew streets of Ikebukuro like no one else did but Izaya- he knew all back backstreets and every shadowed corner. He passed with buildings growing taller with each crossing. He reached the center of the city, more crowded and less easy of any vehicle to navigate.

He finally ended in a back alley far from lights of a square filled with small bars and restaurants. He leaned on uneven concrete of a building. The path was a dead end with few heavy metal doors mostly used by staff of small establishments and few dumpsters each for a different kind of garbage. She would not look for him in a filthy place like this. He had few minutes to take much needed breath and with sun going low, a much appreciated cover. Minutes have been filled with silence not even disturbed by all commotion coming from the street. The bliss could take longer if not for a sound of a lock in on of the staff doors. Izaya’s eyes were focused on the mouth of the allay, carefully looking for any unwanted party sniffing him out. He wasn’t paying any attention to a person that was throwing away a trash to one of the dumpsters.

“Izaya?” he heard his own name coming from the end on the allay where bins had been placed.

At that the raven turned his head in a flash with a muscle pulled and burning on a side of his neck. Few meters from here, with light coming from inside of a shop right through still opened doors, was standing Heiwajima Shizuo. His long arms in a white crispy shirt hanging relaxed on his sides. The trademark uniform perfectly ironed, leather black belt hugging his hips tucked in every loop, all buttons of the shirt secured up to his chin with a bowtie perfectly at a collar. His blond hair diligently slicked back with a shining hair product. His eyes clear, widened in a surprise, eye brows raised instead of pulled lower in a dangerous scowl. He sighed and pulled his hands into pockets of the dark slacks.

“Might as well take a break” he said out of the blue and made his way to the wall Izaya’s has been leaning on. At the sudden movement Izaya jerked his arm when Shizuo landed right beside him with a material of his white shirt brushed a dark one of his own parka. “What’s up?” he asked while fidgeting with his pockets to pull a plastic wrapped lollipop.

Izaya looked at Shizuo pulling at a cover of the sweet treat, releasing it from it and popping it up into his mouth. He saw his jaw working on it, more like crushing it under his teeth then let it melt of his tongue. Feeling how the bended spine was not helping his strained back, he took a small step to a side to once again fully lean on the wall. His face fully turned to the blonde who was casually holding a white stick and looking at the other side of the ally.

“What, what about that terrible habit of yours?” Izaya asked under his breath.

“Izaya…” Shizuo said with a sigh. “You told me to stopped. Of course you’d smelled them on me” he said under his breath more to himself rather than the man on his side. “Sorry, I AM tryin’, ‘kay? Even some regulars are happy with it, so it was a damn good idea. I admit it now, ‘kay? You’re right!” he growled looking at Izaya sideways.

But seeing puzzled look on Izaya’s face Shizuo pushed himself from the wall and turned to him. Izaya tensed toying with a safety of his switchblade in his parka pocket. The movement in the dark pockets went not unnoticed by Shizuo. He took the lollipop out and shifted from one foot to the other and back. Something clicked in his head after looking at Izaya’s closed posture.

“Izaya, what’s wrong?” he said so calmly and so out of character that made Izaya uneasy.

What’s wrong? He’s asking him that? What is wrong with all of them?! Izaya made a way to the middle of the allay with making a whole turn with his arms wide spread. He faced Shizuo once again sticking his hands in the parka coat and spreading them like wings. His lips crooked in an imitation of a smile.

“Silly Shizu-chan. Everything!” he laughed only spreading his coat-wings wider stretching the material. “Whatever you three want to pull, it’s not going to work” he let his arms fall not loosing his grip on his knife.

“Don’t use that name” Shizuo said but instead of anger his voiced sounded hollow. “We need to go home” he added in a hurry. “Just wait here… or no” he said and reached for Izaya’s dominant arm only pushing it more into a pocket making Izaya’s arm stuck inside not able to pull the knife out. “You’re comin’ with me. Knowin’ you, you’ll run as soon as I’ll get inside.”

With that Izaya has been dragged to the door that had been still left wide open. The grip was not crushing his flesh and bones as he thought at first it would but it was still far from tender. The heat of stuffed bar hit him in the face. Shizuo navigated them through narrow corridors filled with kegs from a floor to a ceiling. At the end there was an entrance to a dark specious room with counters filled with stuck up glasses ending with a high step of a table where patrons were sipping their drinks.

Talking to one of them there was Tanaka Tom with his dreadlocks pulled back and secured with a black elastic band. He had a similar outfit to what Izaya had seen him every time when pestering the blond on streets of Ikebukuro. What was missing was a dark blazer. The red rich shirt was giving his dark skin a warm tone and in the semi-darkness of the bar nearly blending him with dark mahogany bar. When he turned his glasses flashed with a light coming from small lightbulbs on each shelf with bottles of presented liquors behind the bar.

“Yo, Shizuo-kun! Done with your break?” only then he saw the raven picking from behind Shizuo’s back. “Oh! Izaya-kun! Wonderful to see you! Same as always? One Manhattan, here it comes” not even waiting for a reply he turned to the counter and grabbed a tumbler.

The raven was looking at the man with a silent surprise. His cool would not work, he’s rational thinking either. This whole place was a madness that was confusing him with every passing minute. No logic and no patter he could stick to. Looking from Shiuzo and his big paw still keeping his arm hostage and Tom happily chatting with an intoxicated man on the bar, Izaya needed to admit. Whatever was going on in here, he still was way to clueless without all the factors to make a rational plan. So he decided to do what was always his least favorite way of action but gave him time to find a way and form a plan. He just let go. First of all he needed to figure out what was going on.

“Manager Tanaka” Shiuzo said letting Izaya go and making a step to the bar. He placed his hand on a tumbler, covering it before Tom filled the glass. “Something came up. I need to take Izaya home.”

With a bottle of whiskey Tom moved his eyes from the tumbler and looked up at Shizuo from above the frames of his glasses. His eyebrows high on his forehead. He glanced at Izaya and whatever was in these dark eyes, whatever understanding came to them, made Izaya uncomfortable under his collar. Tom’s gaze turned back to Shizuo and finally to the covered tumbler. He nodded few times and placed the whiskey back on the counter leaning on it with his straight arms almost embracing the much needed help to keep him up. Shizuo bowed his head slightly in an appreciation of the gesture. Tom flipped his phone with a free hand while other was still enclosed around a neck of hard liquor. 

“I’ll call Vorona, gods know she needs some hobby instead of taking your shifts every now and then” he said with a stern in his voice but a corner of his mouth, on a side of his face visible to Izaya, there was a shadow of a smile.

“Haaa!” the too intoxicated patron leaned forwards almost toppling his drink. “Tom-san!” he whined. “You two har’ on our Shizuwo-kun!” he said with a slur to his words.

“Yoshihara-san!” Tom replied ready for a banter. “That’s what a good boss is supposed to do!” he crossed arms on his chest.

“Dunnot listen to ‘im, boy!” Yoshihara encouraged with his arm outreached and flipping his hand back and forth as if calling him to come closer. “Go hom’. Mak sweet loff. Better there than here" he hit the counter with his open palm his words more clear with voice getting louder and then moving his accusative finger from Shizuo to Izaya and then back. “You two brats making us all look old and without a spark! Out you go!” he plopped in his seat and seizing his glass spilling it all over the table.

Shizuo even with a vain on his temple pulsing visibly and eyes screwed shut he hesitantly bowed his head in clear dismiss. He turned to back to Izaya and marched his way. He once again grabbed him by his forearm and with short “Come on” they’ve left from a side of a bar with narrow exit and made their way to the exit.

Their ride back to Izaya’s apartment was filled with awkward silence. Izaya was resting in his seat with arms crossed on his chest and running with his russet eyes from person to person in a wagon. Shizuo on the other hand, even if sitting right beside Izaya, was leaning forward with his elbows dinning into a meat of his tights. His warm brown eyes never even once landing on Izaya, just moving from his joined hands to an empty seat in front of him.

For the first time since boarding the train Izaya let his eyes fall on the blonde. That might be the first time in a long time when Izaya had a opportunity to see the man from up close. The last time had been long time ago during Raijin Gakuen time, so long that the sharp lines of Shizuo’s jaw blurred and blemishes on his tan face long forgotten. Izaya could see how he was picking at cuticles scrapping them with his short nails. Never he was able to see him so animated. These stolen imagines taken only when the blonde gave up on his lunches and took short naps during a spring or late summer, when the sun was not scrunching all of them any second they even stepped out from the shadows of classrooms.

Izaya remembered sitting or squadding right beside asleep boy ready to dash at any given moment. He liked Shizuo’s young face with a calm expression, closed eyes running after images behind closed eyelids, mouth mumbling words here and there. He liked the time when beast turned into a human. Fairy tale like scenery when a casted spell made a beast out of a man while letting him change only during the night.

And then there was the beast sitting beside him. Blond hair not anymore in place thanks to their fast pace on their way to the metro station. Roots already visible, clinging to his scalp. All muscles in his face relaxed and undisturbed. Wrinkles at corners of his eyes that with them heavy lidded he was looking at task at hand. The agitation was easily pouring from his posture. This man in front of Izaya was a joke. A really bad joke that he, himself, couldn’t take in.

He made a move to get up but was stopped with a large hand once again ending on the same spot on Izaya’s arm as in the back of the bar. It almost showed him back to his seat. With narrowed eyes he looked at Shizuo’s face that finally showed some old irritation with a scowl wrinkling his forehead and upsetting a string line of his mouth.

“I’m going” Izaya stated and once again tried to get up but even this time the pull placed him back on a plastic bench. “How gave you a permission to stop me, you beast?” he hissed through clenched teeth.

“You…!” he barked loudly only to stop and look around while getting steres from the few of passengers that were scattered in the wagon. “You gave me the permission, you bastard” he leaned to the raven and whispered in a pitched voice while trying to sound as quite as he could.

“Highly doubt it” Izaya spite back pulling his arm from Shiuzo’s grip.

“Let’s not do this now” he added while loosing the tense expression on his face.

“Then when? Hm?” Izaya ridiculed the other man. “I’m not going to let you in to my apartment.”

At that Shizuo only blinked few times and turned back to his previous position but this time hiding his face into his hands. With that Izaya looked to the side, once again focusing on other people around them. The misery didn’t look good on Shiuzo.

One stop or two and adding a short walk to Izaya’s building were the most heavy minutes of his life. He felt like a dog on a leash with Shizuo’s hand tightly holding a sleeve of his jacket. So tight that Izaya couldn’t squeeze his hand out of it. Well, he was still alive so whatever was happening in here gave him shallow moments of power of pestering the blonde and throwing any sour remark or rude comment. And the blonde bartender was taking everyone of them without even saying a word. But the madness was only waiting for him behind his apartment’s door.

“Oh! Izaya-kun!” Shinra left his spot on a couch right beside Celty that had her helmet facing her on a coffee table in front of her. She looked up to Shinra running Izaya’s and Shizuo’s way. Her eyes locked with rusty orbs full of doubt. “I was soooo worried!” Shinra shook the raven by his arms.

Not far behind was Namie. She patiently took a place right beside the bespectacled man with a frown on her face. Celty turned from the commotion looking down at an open palm of her hand. Two sickly yellow pills rolled in a dip in a middle of her hand. She closed her fingers around it and stood up. She knew what she needed to do. And she would not be left alone in that.

“There’s no need to shout, Shinra” Izaya said with familiarity and moved away from the crowed still gathered at an entrance to the living room. She made her way to the man casually leaning on his desk. “And what do YOU want?” he asked with a spite at her.

She had enough. She really had enough. Each time when the same situation happened she could feel being pulled back to the moment she nearly had lost her life. The face of Izaya that was looking at her was a mirror image of the one that left her to deal with the outcome of their mischiefs with tragic ending. She grabbed Izaya’s chicks digging her fingers into his skin making him open his mouth. She could hear a loud disapproval from Shizuo right behind her back but she knew that Shinra and Namie would keep him out of it. Both of them hanging from each of Shizuo’s arms.

She used her own body to outbalance Izaya to hit with his back a surface of the desk. He tried to push her back but strength was never his strong point. She knew his weaknesses as no one else. Such a sprout as him would never push her away. Celty rose her hand with pills burning skin of her palm. She pushed them right into his mouth and closed it with her hand. After that she let go of his chicks and pitched his nose. His wide eyes were telling her how desperate he was for air.

She looked for a second behind her. All three of them, Shizuo, Shinra and Namie, were not tossing around on a floor. The woman was sitting on blonde’s back, with knees securing Shizuo’s arms while her arm around his neck. Shinra laying flat on long legs jolting under him and bumping up and down like untrained pony. All of them knew where Shizuo’s stood in all this mess. How could he not do anything else? Izaya being his everything from the start. Trying to get to the raven with each episode of delusion he had. But this demon inside Izaya’s mind was dangerous to him and anyone around. No sane person was running with a knife in the middle of Tokyo or messed with shady people. But that needs to end.

She loved at his throat seeing as a heavy swallow pushed pills down. He let go of his nose and gave his only a second to take a big inhale.

“Listen to me, you prick!” she shouted at his face not uncovering his mouth. “I HAVE a head, Shizuo doesn’t have a super strength, Shinra is not an underground doctor and Namie is not your secretary!” she summaries all known facts to her that were a main theme in Izaya’s delusion. “And you’re not an info broker! It’s the real life, Izaya! You hear me!”

After a mere heartbeat Izaya’s reddish eyes were staring at her wildly and his hands instead of pushing her away, curled on what free space her outfit gave in stretching the leather to maximum. He tapped few times on her arm that kept restraining him. With one more push she got off him and fall on the divan. Shinra and Namie rolled from Shizuo who in a flash made his way to still stunned Izaya laying flat on the desk. He helped him sit up and took his face in his hands. He turned to Celty with bared teeth in a snarl.

“Why have you done it?!” he yelled her way.

“What needed to be done” she grumbled crossing her arms and throwing one leg on another.

“Hey” Shizuo once again turned to Izaya searching his eyes. “You okay?”

It was the first time that day when Izaya looked at him with wide innocent eyes. His confusion not foreign to Shizuo. Each and every time like in a loop. But he promised he would stand by him in moments like this. He had promised after that first time not long after the incident Izaya and Celty had.

“Why you…” Izaya frowned lowering his eyes only to raise them once again. “Why you couldn’t get free?”

“Izaya” he started the well learned pitch. “You and Celty had an accident” at that he could hear a snort coming from the mentioned woman. “You bumped into a gang called “Colors”. Celty almost lost her life and you weren’t in a better shape. We don’t know why you’re like that. Was it a head or psychological trauma. Do you remember anything?”

“I… I don’t know” he said almost chocking on words that came with a great difficulty.

“It’s okay, it’s okay” he brushed too long black har from Izaya’s forehead. “Everything will be okay.”

Shizuo moved closer and let Izaya’s head land on his shoulder. With long strokes up and down the ravens spine he tried to call him down. The tremble started to easy after a minute or two.

Annoying light coming from a window in Izaya’s bedroom hit him in a face. His lashes fluttered to reveal tired brown eyes with a reddish hue. He turned away from the light facing other empty side of his bed. He tried to dozen off but with all consuming brightness he finally let the idea rest itself. He rubbed his eyes with slender fingers trying to get rid of sleepers coming at mornings after leaving his contact lenses in for a night. Someday he really should consider if he’s work was worth pulling all-nighters without giving himself additional five minutes on his way from a computer to the bed. 

He sat on his bed and stretched his arms above his head to flex muscles in his back. Satisfying burn at his shoulders rushed a goosebumps on his skin. He lowered his arms and rolled his head on sides to easy the heat and his neck. With his face ending on the side he once again opened his eyes that had closed to the previous satisfaction.

“Huh?” and annoying feeling of déjà vu creeped at the back of his mind.

He glanced at the other side of the bed.

**Author's Note:**

> Do you think it's good enough to make a small series?
> 
> Well I am working on other two stories and it takes a while because of the research. Like even in this one- never had an idea that Shiki was in charge of art galleries!


End file.
